"Tower Master Di Tian, you are in a rather good mood today. What brings you here to keep an old man like me company?"
In a courtyard in the southern part of Mingdu City, an elderly man poured tea and smiled lightly by a stone table. His crane like white hair shimmered with a hazy silver light in the sunlight.
"Xingluo Soul Calming sent word. The Holy Spirit Cult has reached cooperation with the Abyss. Possession Demons may have infiltrated the Federation."
Di Tian walked through the void to the stone table, sat down across from the elderly man, and looked him up and down with his dragon eyes.
"Although I believe it is impossible for you to be possessed by a Possession Demon, just in case, I came to check. Within the Spirit Transmission Tower, we will also conduct confidential self inspections with trustworthy people."
As he spoke, Di Tian flicked a Life Crystal to the side of the teacup before the elderly man. The crystal was like a solidified droplet of emerald, containing vast life energy, flowing with a warm luster in the sunlight.
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise and doubt passed through Ji Xuanqiu's eyes. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the Life Crystal and verified his innocence.
Afterwards, his gaze looked into the distance, toward the War Temple.
"No wonder there has been quite a commotion today, yet the Federation's response has not been as swift as in the past. Some high ranking Federation official has been controlled by a Possession Demon, providing cover, I suppose."
He had also heard the earth shattering roar from the War Temple.
But logically, if an enemy was so arrogant as to attack the War Temple, the Federation's response would certainly not be so slow. They would have notified the Central Army Corps to launch a large scale encirclement, and even notified experts from the Dark Department, Mingde Hall, and the Spirit Transmission Tower to join the capture.
But the fact was that until the horrific explosion at the War Temple, the Federation's response had been somewhat too calm. Clearly, someone had blocked the spread of key information at some juncture.
Even he, an old man who had retired, could see this.
And combined with Di Tian's account, Ji Xuanqiu naturally connected it to Possession Demons.
A strange look passed through Di Tian's eyes. "According to the news I just received, the one who broke into the War Temple was an old acquaintance of ours. Heaven Favored Douluo. He stole the Eternal Heaven."
Ji Xuanqiu's brow instantly furrowed tightly. He looked at Di Tian in disbelief.
"How could it be him?"
Was it not Possession Demons and the Holy Spirit Cult?
"I am also very surprised."
Di Tian shook his head and explained the entire sequence of events.
Ji Xuanqiu listened with complex emotions, finally shaking his head helplessly.
"To let an enemy infiltrate their own home. The War Temple has ultimately become remiss. And this time, Shrek Academy is probably going to suffer."
Although he felt that Heaven Favored Douluo was most likely controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult or possessed by a Possession Demon, otherwise he would not have emerged after so many years and made such an unwise choice, he could not be certain.
And when even he, who knew about the Possession Demons, was not certain, those who did not know would only place the blame on Shrek Academy.
"In a certain sense, it is not entirely undeserved."
Di Tian's gaze also turned toward the War Temple.
"This time, besides the enemy's influence, the Federation's slow response also has to do with certain people in the Federation who are close to Shrek. After learning the news, they subconsciously made unwise choices, delaying the transmission of information."
Protection was sometimes more harmful than swords and blades.
Shrek, which was already difficult to clear, became even harder to clear because of those people. And they themselves would also become mired in the quagmire.
"Fate and timing."
Ji Xuanqiu picked up the long cooled tea and drank it in one gulp. "Troubled times. Do you need me to act?"
"Not for now."
Di Tian turned and walked toward the War Temple, disappearing from Ji Xuanqiu's sight in an instant. Only a few words fell upon his ears. "Do not spread the news about the Possession Demons yet. This time, we will eliminate this threat before they can react."
...
The War Temple.
The once towering, solemn hall, symbolizing the Federation's military achievements and honor, had now become a shocking ruin.
The tall temple gates had been violently torn apart, leaving only twisted metal frames. The air was filled with a thick smell of burnt and blood.
Personnel in different uniforms shuttled through the ruins. Shouts, the hum of instruments, and occasional painful moans intertwined.
Di Tian's figure appeared on the ruins like a ghost. He was discovered by several people, who somewhat reservedly came before Di Tian.
The Seventh War God, who was organizing the aftermath, asked with confusion, "Your Majesty Di Tian, have you come to..."
"The Federation has notified the Spirit Transmission Tower to assist you in handling the follow-up. Qianku has already gone to pursue the enemy. I have come to guard Mingdu, to prevent similar incidents, and to see the situation."
Di Tian looked at the ruins, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Casualties?"
Qianku Dongfeng's father was in seclusion. The Dark Department's head was absent. The War Temple's temple master and deputy temple master were at Shrek. Add to that the experts taken by the delegation and Shrek's previous diversion of attention. This attack had truly chosen a good time.
Upon hearing this, the Seventh War God breathed a sigh of relief.
With this incident, their two palace masters were even less likely to leave Shrek City. Now, having Di Tian, the most powerful spirit beast, guarding Mingdu was indeed quite reassuring.
"The battle was mainly on the seventeenth level. With the Fire Li Clan assisting, casualties were not high. The greatest damage was caused by Heaven Favored Douluo's retreat."
"Heaven Favored Douluo had unknown experts providing cover. Although people had already come to support the War Temple by the time he retreated, we still could not stop him or recover the Eternal Heaven. Now, experts from the Dark Department and Mingde Hall have also pursued."
But if they could not stop him before, pursuing now would probably be futile.
The Seventh War God's heart was heavy.
This time, not only Shrek, but they, the War Temple, had also lost face. They would certainly receive severe punishment.
"Yes."
Di Tian thought for a moment, then said, "May I take a look at the seventeenth level?"
The Seventh War God's brows jumped. He hesitated.
It was precisely the consequences of their previous carelessness that had left such a deep shadow. He did not want any more outsiders to step inside the War Temple.
But then he thought again, the War Temple was originally a training ground. Now that the Eternal Heaven was already lost, what was there to fear?
"Please, go ahead."
Di Tian nodded and walked toward the Seventeenth Level of Hell. Soon, he arrived at the entrance to the Eighteenth Level. He sensed a special aura.
"Was an expert killed in battle here?"
The Seventh War God looked at him strangely and shook his head. "There were casualties, but not here."
A flicker passed through Di Tian's eyes. A guess formed in his mind.
There was the aura of a spirit soul passing away here, and it was very strong. Clearly, it had just happened. If it was not an expert from the War Temple itself, then it was quite strange.
"That Heaven Favored Douluo should have been controlled by a Possession Demon. Did he abandon his previous possession target due to some accident?"
Di Tian looked thoughtful.
The Spirit Transmission Tower had some research on the state of a soul master after being possessed by a Possession Demon.
The sources of this research were quite special, including both inferences and information provided by spirit souls.
Some soul masters, when facing a Possession Demon and feeling they had no chance of resistance, would choose to directly dissolve their contract with their spirit soul, lowering their own strength while avoiding the spirit soul from being trapped in an inescapable prison.
And according to those spirit souls who had thus escaped the demon's clutches, for a Possession Demon to possess someone, it needed to fight the soul master in the Sea of Spirit. During this process, the spirit soul would naturally help the soul master.
If the resistance failed, not only would the soul master fall into a special state between life and death, but the spirit soul would also fall into a deep sleep due to exhaustion of its power. Moreover, as long as the Possession Demon was not stupid, it would suppress those spirit souls, not giving them the power to recover, preventing them from waking up.
After all, even if the Possession Demon occupied everything about that soul master, it could not change the fact that the contract was not with the Possession Demon itself. Those spirit souls would certainly still help their old friend.
From this, some soul tool researchers inferred that if the spirit souls within a possessed soul master could be awakened, perhaps the soul master's consciousness could also reawaken. There might be a chance to save those who had been possessed.
Unfortunately, this was currently only a theory.
But one thing was certain. The possessed soul master and the spirit soul within them were not actually dead.
After all, the Possession Demon needed the abilities of that body. It could not truly kill the other party. Otherwise, if the soul master died, the spirit soul would disappear. How much strength would the soul master have left?
Their cultivation would be greatly impaired.
Conversely, the Possession Demon would naturally not kill the spirit soul either.
Then, when would the soul master and spirit soul die?
Naturally, when the Possession Demon abandoned or killed the person it had possessed, or when the Possession Demon died.
There were no War Gods killed here. No corpses. Yet there were traces of an expert and a spirit soul passing away. This was very similar to the above situation.
Thinking this, Di Tian's gaze turned to Tianhuo, who had been walking toward him since his arrival.
"He did it, did he not? He wounded the Possession Demon's true form?"
He was indeed worthy of being someone Huo Yuhao valued. He had many secrets.
As Di Tian and Tianhuo exchanged glances, he heard the other's telepathic message.
"There is something I need you to pass on to Huo Yuhao."
***
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